Jeremy McConnell
Jeremy McConnell is a housemate from the seventeenth series of Celebrity Big Brother. He entered on Day 1. Background Jeremy is best known for his appearance on MTV's Beauty School Cop Outs, a show where young adults move to Manchester to try their hand at massages, manicures and other beauty professions. He used to play football for Bohemians FC and Shelbourne FC and dated Irish model Holly Carpenter for about a year in their teens. He was also previously a contestant in world renowned male beauty pageant, Mr. Ireland. Profile Why did you agree to do CBB? I’ve grown up with Big Brother. Me and my mum used to sit down and watch it. It’s Celebrity Big Brother – you have to do it. Of course, it improves your profile, what makes money makes sense, but it’s just the whole thing. I absolutely jumped at it. I was swimming over to England to sign the contract! Why do you think they picked you? My modelling career in Ireland has been decent. I’ve become a figure, maybe with the women. My last three girlfriends have been models. So people think I’m a player, but I’m not. Does that put some girls off, do you think? Yep. If I knew girls that had slept with a lot of people it would put me off, so I totally understand people’s opinion. But they’re judging me from a scripted reality show, and it’s not who I am. Now I’m in Big Brother I get a crack at being who I am, and I know people will like me because I’m very down to earth, I treat people the way I like to be treated and I don’t complicate life in any mad way. What’s the truth about you and women? I’ve been in love – I was madly in love in my first relationship. We all go through heartbreak. But I’ve been single for two and a half years and I’m not ready for the emotions of getting married or breaking up again – I’m 25, I’m a lad, you still have to dabble! You might get sick of the odd job in the shower, you know what I mean? So you do what nature tells you to do and it’s nice to go on dates now and again. But then when you get close to a girl you’re dating, you might shy away when you get insecure. Do I believe in monogamy and that? It remains to be seen. Hopefully I will change my mind, have kids and settle down. Do you think any of your housemates will catch your eye? The Jeremy that goes into Big Brother is the same Jeremy that goes to a nightclub and might see an attractive girl and connects with her. If I want to have sex – not in a seedy way – I wouldn’t not express myself just because there are cameras. I wouldn’t do it in a room full of people. I wouldn’t disrespect anyone. But if we could find a private place… if we like each other… What’s your type? I’m like a boy in a candy store – sometimes I might want a pack of Rolos, sometimes I might want a fizzy drink. It depends on the woman. I don’t have a type – I think all women can be attractive. A lot of it does depend on the personality. You wake up with a slightly good looking girl three weeks down the line with her funky breath in your face, the attraction goes. Looks capture your attention, personality captures your heart. It’s a cliché, but it certainly is the case. What’s your chat up line? You hear some bad chat up lines, and I kind of cringe for fellas like that. I do get drunk and go on Facebook and say ridiculous stuff, but when I’m sober my idea would just be to build up an attraction. If you have a one night stand, even though you want it and sometimes you need it, that girl is not gonna be the one you want to settle down with because you’ll think ‘she had sex with me on the first night’. I see it so often, people cheating on each other. I was cheated on, I messed up once. It just really upsets me, you know? That’s why I’ve tried to be a free spirit and go with things. Of the rumoured names that you’ve seen, which stand out to you? Megan McKenna I know off the back, absolutely stunning girl. She is my type down to a tee. I saw Ex on the Beach briefly. She’s quite feisty, do you think you could handle that? Of course I could handle that. A lot of girls get jealous with lads, it’s how you deal with situations. My dad always used to say to me when I had arguments with my sisters that the best way to wind a woman up is to ignore them and not to give them any ammunition. You have to be cool and chilled out. And Stephanie Davies, I think she’s going out with Sam Reece who is a very attractive young model and obviously it’s not my style to be hitting on a taken girl. But if she got rid of him…! And Kristina’s maybe a bit of a naughty momma… I’d let her tuck me into bed, read me a bedtime story. Who knows? I’m single and I’m ready to mingle, let’s be honest. I’m looking forward to this madhouse. What will you be like in the house? I’m very quick witted. I grew up playing a lot of football so I’m used to being around big groups. Lads have a lot of banter. People might take my banter seriously, which is bad. I can slag off or be slagged off. It’s like my good friend Marc O’Neil he was in the house in the summer. He was seen as an arse. He took it that little bit far with insults. Me and Marc would be very similar housemates, except I wouldn’t insult to that level. What would wind you up about other people? Power mad people. If there’s people in there that look down on me because I only have 40,000 followers on Twitter, that would p*ss me off. I’m very cool, but I can verbally take people down. I’m an ordinary average Joe. That scene is very pretentious. What about if they start taking away your luxuries? I’m used to that. I never really had many privileges. You’re dealing with somebody who doesn’t really consider himself a celebrity. If I went in there with two pairs of jocks, a tank top and a bit of Listerine to wash my mouth I’d be happy. I’m from Dublin – they say you’re dragged up not brought up. Can we talk a little bit about your family? I lived with my mum in County Wicklow, my mum and dad were separated since I was one. We were very close. We didn’t have much but she’d make sure I had football boots and we’d struggle for a bit of lunch, she’d be that way inclined. When I was fifteen I was at my cousin’s and my mum fell asleep. I got back about two hours later and she was gone – she had a brain haemorrhage. Dead on arrival. Shortly after that my brother broke his neck in a motorbike accident. After that, my sister had a heart attack – she suffered with epilepsy. All in the space of fifteen months. Of course I miss them, I loved them dearly, but I think that’s what levelled me out a bit – I express myself the way I want to. I just grew up really fast. I don’t really give a sh*t. I don’t take life seriously whatsoever – it is what it is. I do what I want. There’s people that feel like they’ve got to abide by rules in a box, I kind of just flow. You’re still close to your dad? My dad had to take the pressure. He was in a second relationship. I now have two half-sisters who are in France doing the Moulin Rouge, they’re doing really well. What did your family think about you on Beauty School Cop Outs? I was portrayed to be a player but it’s not really me. My family thought it was a bit strange but what makes money makes sense, as we say, so they could see why I’d done it. You have to read from a script and you sound like an idiot. But on Big Brother I’ll be myself. I’m an entertainer. Have you made them any promises about how you’ll behave on CBB? No. They know not to question me! I’m a 25 year old lad. I won’t disrespect anybody but I’ll do what I want to do. If I have sex – well, my dad has had to knock into a room where I’ve been at it, plenty of times. He’s used to it. What’s normal to me is probably shocking to others but sex is a beautiful thing, man. I’m not going to get her in a wheelbarrow and take her out and do it in the garden. That would be weird. But if things happen organically, I’ll enjoy it. I don’t want to offend anyone who’s watching, but what happens, happens. Do you think anybody in there will compete with you for female attention? Yeah, I mean if Scotty’s in there, he’s going to compete. But I’m not going to rise to it. I’ll just sit in a corner and let him do his thing. I think we’ll probably get on well. But he was on Ex on the Beach with Megan, wasn’t he? So I wonder if something will happen there. There again, when she sees me… she won’t know what’s hit her! Would you like to win it? Of course. I don’t have that big a fan base so I don’t think I will. And you’re always wary of what Big Brother can do. They can have an eviction on the first night if they want to. But I’m a genuine guy, I’m real, I’m a gentleman, they’re going to like what they see. I’ll either go far, or I’ll be kicked out for doing something stupid. I just need a few drinks, you know what us Irish are like! I will probably try and break out or something. I get a bit flirty when I drink. A bit kinky. What would wind you up in the house? The only thing that would wind me up is if someone slated my tattoos of my mum. A blogger did that and it really annoyed me. That’s very personal to me and I would hate it. But anything else, these idiots like Katie Hopkins who say nasty things, they probably go home and cry themselves to sleep. They don’t bother me. Anything about my family who aren’t here to defend themselves, that would upset me. But I’ll take anything else on the chin. Trivia * Jeremy is best friends with Marc O'Neill, a controversial housemate from ''Big Brother 16''. Category:Housemate